Jinling engraving printing technology

The name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Jinling engraving and printing technology

Applicant: Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province

Project No.: 429

Project No.: VIII - 79

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Jiangsu Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province

Protection unit: Jinling Scripture carving Office

Brief introduction of Jinling Scripture engraving printing technology:

Applicant: Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province

Nanjing, known as Jinling in ancient times, is the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties with a long history and profound cultural heritage. In 1866, Yang Renshan, the founder of the revival of modern Buddhist culture in China, and other people of insight founded the Jinling Scripture carving office, inheriting the ancient Buddhist scriptures and woodcut printing techniques of Buddha statues in China, and enjoying a high reputation at home and abroad for more than 100 years. Located at No. 35, Huaihai Road, Baixia District, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, Jinling Scripture carving office covers a total area of 3923 square meters. It collects 125318 Buddhist Scripture editions and 18 large-scale Buddhist statue editions. It is a famous Buddhist cultural institution in China and a Buddhist Scripture publishing institution integrating ancient scriptures, Scripture Edition collection, Scripture carving, printing, circulation and Buddhist research.

Jinling Scripture engraving maintains the traditional woodcut watermark technique in ancient China, which consists of three steps: first, engraving, including sample writing, sample loading, engraving and other processes; second, printing, including plate setting, ink brushing, duplicating, pressure rubbing, paper uncovering and other processes; third, binding, including pagination, folding, pinching, binding and compacting, counting books, aligning columns, stringing paper twists, pasting cover and back cover, matching books, and cutting books And then, the process of making binding holes and pasting the title of the book.

Jinling Scripture is well-known for its strict, pure content, rigorous collation, sparse layout, pleasing words, exquisite printing and fine paper and ink. At present, there are more than 300 kinds of Buddhist classics printed by hand, accounting for about one fifth of the total number of sutras, including the Huayan Sutra (Volume 80), the complete works of Xuanzang's translation (volume 1347) and other important sutras. The carving and printing skills of Jinling scriptures were handed down by oral and psychological teaching, and have now spread to the seventh generation.

However, the cost and price of hand printed thread bound scriptures are higher than that of paperback machine printed scriptures, and their purchase objects are relatively fixed. These conditions limit and affect the production and circulation of engraved scriptures. At present, there are only two engravers in Jinling Scripture carving office. The problem of inheritance is prominent. The technique of Scripture carving is likely to be lost at any time, so measures need to be taken to explore, rescue and protect it.